Do I Have Slab Leak On My Property?

Slab leak can cause a lot of problems if it is left untreated for a long time. However, most people have no idea that they have a slab leak problem until it manifests itself in earnest. By that time, a lot of damage has already been done and the repair can be quite costly.

Your Water Bill Has Increased

We tend to spend about the same amount of water each month, except if there are some special circumstances, like watering the lawn or filling a swimming pool. If you haven’t been using any more water than usual, and you notice that your water bill has increased, there might be a leak somewhere on your property.

Leaks inside the slab tend to be very inaccessible and they require special equipment to detect, so analyzing your water bill can be a good and inexpensive preliminary indicator that something is wrong.

Low Water Pressure

Another indirect way you can surmise that you have a leak is if your water pressure suddenly drops to a trickle. Even though a slab leak is not the only reason why your water pressure could be dropping, it is still a real possibility. For instance, the debris in the water can easily cause the blockage somewhere in your pipes, causing the water pressure to drop. Similarly, if your valves are old, they can break and cause this sudden drop of water pressure.

If you experience this issue, you should try to be positive and not assume that the worst scenario has happened. What you can do is check your valves for faults. However, you should also keep an eye on other symptoms of a slab leak so you can act as soon as you have a reason to believe that it is, in fact, a slab leak that is causing you problems.

White Spots on the Floor

White powdery spots on your bathroom floor can easily be brushed off as some washing detergent or some dried toothpaste which were accidentally dropped and left on the floor. And, sure, it is possible that it is just that.

However, it can also be one of the indicators that you have a slab leak issue and that is the residue of the water which has dried up. In itself, this indicator is not a cause for an alarm, but when combined with other, more telling symptoms of a slab leak, you should start worrying.

Your floor can also be an indicator if it gets warm for no apparent reason. In fact, a chemical reaction between the pipe and the water can be the cause of this excessive heat. Naturally, if you have a hot water pipe going through the floor, it is normal to feel the warmth, but if this is a new phenomenon and is accompanied by some of the other symptoms listed in this article, it may be time to do an inspection.